You can do your part to save this limited resource — and save money doing it. Because a lot of water usage runs through water heaters, conserving water will also help you save energy. A few simple changes in the way you use water can result in a surprising amount of saving

• Adding inexpensive water-saving aerators or flow restrictors to faucets and using low-flow showerheads can reduce water use by at least 25 percent without changing the apparent water flow.
• Use a commercial car wash rather than washing your car in the driveway. Car washes use less water — and don't dump detergents and other chemicals into the environment. If you do wash your car at home, scrub it with a brush and a bucket of water, and only use the hose to rinse the car.
• Turning off the faucet while brushing your teeth or shaving can save four to 10 gallons of water a day.
• Take shorter showers and shallower baths. Save three or more gallons by closing the tub drain before you turn on the water.
• Wash vegetables and fruit by filling a basin or sink with water and scrubbing with a vegetable brush, rather than washing them under running water.
• When running the washing machine, be sure to adjust the water level setting to the load size. Washing machines use 22 to 25 gallons per load. When replacing your washing machine, consider ones that use less water, like front-loading machines.
• Dripping faucets can waste from 75 to several hundred gallons of water a week. These drips can often be fixed with an inexpensive washer.
• Hidden leaks can waste many gallons of water — and sometime damage your house. If your water use seems unusually high, try reading your water meter, waiting an hour without using any water, then checking the meter again. If it has changed, there's a leak somewhere.
• Sometimes you can hear a leaking toilet, but sometimes the leak — which can be as much as 50 gallons a day — is silent. To find a silent leak, dye the water in the toilet tank with food coloring. Wait about 10 minutes. If the color appears in the toilet bowl, you have a leak. You may be able to fix it yourself with a new flapper or flush valve.
• The biggest single water use in your house is flushing the toilet, which accounts for more than a third of the water used within the average home each day. Toilets manufactured before 1994 use five to six gallons of water per flush. The low-flow toilets made after 1994 use only 1.6 gallons per flush. While early low-flow toilets had a reputation for not working very well, current models work just as well — or better — than the old style.

Using just a few of these tips can result in a noticeable drop in your water bill — and you can feel good about doing your part for Georgia's water woes.